Articles

Roman Shades For The Kitchen

Roman shades are a great way to add a simple and elegant treatment to your windows. Roman shades can be made from many materials in many different styles and work much like a blind. They site bunched up at the top of your window when not in use and then can be lowered down to cover the window when you want privacy. Because of their ability to let full sun into the room during the day while blocking peoples view into the room at night, roman shades are a perfect window treatment for the kitchen. You can use roman shades in conjunction with drapes or curtains if you'd like but they also look great by themselves.

There are different types of roman shades, and depending on your kitchen style you might want to explore one or more of these styles of blinds. Bamboo Bamboo roman shades are great for a kitchen that has s tropical or plantation style. They also work well in a modern kitchen or with café style décor. Most bamboo shades are made with thin canes of bamboo that have been whittled and dried then "stitched" together to form a shade. These shades add texture to the room and can add a nice look even when they are down as the opaque nature of the shade lets subtle light through.

Fabric Fabric roman shades can be found to go with almost every kitchen style. You can get a plain fabric, a print or even a toile roman shade for a shabby chic Paris apartment look. If you buy fabric roman shades be sure to get a pattern and color that match with your overall kitchen décor. Fabric roman shades are a single panel of material that has a string running down both sides of the length. The string is pulled and the shade is gathered up.

There are different styles of "gather" or pucker you can have depending on if you want a fancy or plan look. Insulated Insulated roman shades can be found in many colors and styles and you may want to consider this if you live in a cold climate and have drafty windows. Insulated shades will help reduce loss of heath through the window so your kitchen can be warm and cozy even on the coldest days. This insulation also acts as a noise barrier. Relaxed A relaxed roman shade has less formal shape and has a swaged look at the bottom.

These are great for informal, cottage country or shabby chic style kitchens. Relaxed roman shades will give you a softer look and should be used with plain and light fabrics. Roman shades can be combined with other types of window treatments to give your kitchen a complete designer look. If you use neutral colors for your roman shades, this will allow you to change out your drapes or curtains for each season but not have to bother with getting new shades.

You can also give your roman shades a finished look by adding a valance in a complimentary fabric on top. To clean your roman shades, vacuum them when they are in the "down" position. If there is soiling, you can try upholstery cleaner (but test on the fabric first). Roman shades can be a great addition to your kitchen décor no matter what your style, you are sure to find a shade that looks great.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://roman-shades.home-webzone.com where you can learn how to make your own shades as well as find out more about different types of roman shades.

Digital Scrapbooking Thinking Outside the Box - Most people when thinking of scrapbooking, think of cutting pictures, using paper and borders to enhance the pictures, and adding stickers and journaling to make the perfect scrapbooking project.